The Sun. — London, England, 1864-02-29 00:00:00

TEE CIVIL WAIL IN AMERICA. (Ficm t' Timcs Correspondoll.) NEW YORE, Feb, 12. tu the present military condition of the North and t South, it would bo a great advantage to both if an exchange of prisoners could be cff,:cted. There are said to be at least 40,000 men of each side held in captivity by the other, and the Confederate Go. vernment is behaved to be willing, if not anxious, to exchange man for man, irrespective of colour. The South deputed a Mr. Ould to treat with any Northern C)mmissioner that Mr. Lincoln might appoint for this purpose. Mr. Lincoln's choice fell upon General Butler, the only man in the Northern service with whom it was impossible for the South ern Commissioner to treat, inasmuch as he had been declared an outlaw, and a price put upon his head by the Confederate Congress. It would seem as if this section were made for the express purpose either of thwarting the negotiations or of compelling the Southern Government to annul its decree against Butler: However that may be, there can be no question that under the circumstances, if the Federal Government really desired to effect an exchange, it could not have appointed a worse man for the pur pose than General Butler, who in Southern eyes Is the incarnation of all that is horrible and brutal, and with whom the slightest personal contact is considered to be moral as well as physical con tamination. As might have been expected, the negotiations ended as soon as the Southern Com missioner was made officially aware of the name of the person with whom he had to treat, but not without such an intimation of the reasons for de clining the intercourse as highly incensed the temper and ruffled the dignity of General Butler, _ln an evil hoar for his military reputation, which :sever stood very high, the General took the brave reso l ve of se i z ing by force of arms, and by a bold .coup.de-main, the prisoners whom he could not otherwise liberate. Mr. Lincoln and his War Secre tary were consulted on the subject, and, as neither aef them has the slightest knowledge of military affairs, they allowed the offended and impetuous Butler to persuade them into co-operation with his eeieeme. General Sedgwick, in temporary command of ti ee Army of the Potomac, during the absence fromitaisrosition of General Meade in Philadelphia, eras to craez the Rapidan at the head of three corps eynee, and make a feint of advancing upon Rich that route, so as to occupy the attention mond u, lently of the Confederate army, while of the main u anointed to the duty by General General Wistar, 'ltaneously upon Richmond Butler, was to move sime from Fortress Monroe by way - of the Chickahominy. 'would be taken It was hoped that the Confederates . fended unawares, that Richmond would be left unu,._ , and that the city would fall an easy prey to the in ventive strategist. General :Sedgwick performed the part set down for him, crossed the Rapidan, lost several hundred men, found the enemy too strong for him, and crossed back again to his former quarters. General Wistar was equally unsuccess ful. Richmond, it is true, was greatly excited at his approach, but was well prepared to receive him. Vistar had to retreat more rapidly than he ad vrenced, but fortunately succeeded in getting back to Fortress Monroe without the loss of a single life. 'The whole North, instead of raising shouts of triumph,. as Butler anticipated, rings with loud laughter at his achievement. The blessings of Heaven have been invoked b: General Garibaldi, M. Victor Hugo, Mr. Horace Greeley, and thousands of other well•meaning men upon the head of Abraham Lincoln for having, by a stroke of his pen, emancipated four millions of slaves. Mr. aeries Sumner, one of those who most earnestly and pennistently urged the President to issae his Proclamation arid who most zealously de fended its policy, its justice, and its necessity, has just come to the conclusion that the famous docu ment is a nullity; that the act of the President is only sufficient to free a few slaves, but not to abolish slavery ; and that nothing less than an amendment of the Constitution of the United States can set free henceforth and for ever the bondsmen of the South. In pursuance of this idea he introduced at the beginning of the week seven resolutions into the Senate, with the object of making the neces sary amendments to the constitution, and thus abo lishing slavery by the solemn act and agreement of a majority of the American people. The resolu tions were referred to the Judiciary Committee of the Senate, which body, after one day's delibera tion, reported against them. Even the Tribune admits that Mr. Sumner's proposition was ill-timed and injudicious; and that the cumbrous machinery by which alone an amendment of the Constitution could be legally effected could not be employed in a time of war without serious danger to the public tranquillity. The press generally is of the same opinion, though the reasons given are not identical in every case. Some journals argue that the re storation of the Union, and not the abolition of slavery, is the matter in hand ; others, that slavery will die itself in due time from the blows which the war has necessarily dealt against it ; and others, that a peaceable amendment of the Constitution, while so many of the States that originally con sented to it are in rebellion, is a legal and consti tutional impossibility. The iutroduction, however, of such resolutions by such a man as Mr. Sumner is a proof that even the ultra-Abolitionists are be coming aware that the proclamation has no validity —that it will not stand the judgment of the Su preme Court, and that it is as idle as Mr. Lincoln, its author, described it to be before he issued it. Another incident in the Senate deserves a word of mention. Mr. Sumner drew attention to the fact that a blacn man holding the rank of major in the Federal army had been forcibly ejected from a railway carriage in the city of Washington for no other offence than his colour. He expressed his indignation at such an outrage, declared that he would rather see every railway in America broken up and destroyed than that such things should be tolerated, and that their constant recurrence did more to injure the Federal cause in Europe and at home than a defeat in battle. This led to a somewhat person al discussion, in 'which a senator from Indiana declared that no law could establish the social equality of the white man and the black ; that the negro in question was rightly served, inasmuch as a special car was at tached to the train for people of his colour, and in deliberately thrusting himself into a place not in tended for him he meant to insult, and did thereby insult, every 'white person present. This senator, it should be observed, was not the representative of a slavehelding community, but of the free State of In diana; so that the question of slavery did not influ ence his judgment. Indiana detests slavery, but it also detests the negro; and though Mr. Charles Sumner and many American women and clergymen have a true philanthropic regard, if net esteem, for the black man, the great mesa of the American pee pulation agree with Indiana rather than with Mas sachusetts on the subject. They will consent to po litical equality with negroes, but they will never consent to social intercourse ; and no law that Mr. Sumner or the com bi ne d wisdom of the Senate can frame will ever break down the barrier that sepa rates the two races. Only last week in this c ity a mulatto, wealthy, and not very dark-coloured, was refused a drink in a public saloon by a saucy bar keeper just returned from the army, on the ground that " niggers" could not be allowed to drink in the presence of white men. The bar-keeper paid the penalty for his offence with his life ; for the mulatto drew a revolver from his breast and shot him dead behind his counter, and is now in prison awaiting his trial for the murder. Such incidents as these show the antagonism of the races where slavery does not exist. The House of Representatives bas not only been busy during tho week with this old question of the negro and his political and social status, bat with the new and perhaps eq uall y emb arrassing question of the conscription. It yesterday resolved that the slaves of loyal owners, if conscripted, sh ou ld be en rolled in the army, and that their masters should receive compensation for their loss to the extent ce 300 dols., which is far less than the current value of negroes in some of the Border States. It re solved at the same time—with gross injustice—that 2onscripted negroes thus made free should not be entitled to the bounty of 100 dols. offered by the Go vernment to white conscripts, but that this addi tional sum should also go to their masters. The subject of their pay has yet to be decided ; the frieede of the negro asserting that he ought to have exactly the same pay and allowances as the white, and the opposite party maintaining that he should only b 3 pail what he i 3 worth, which is much less than a white man, and juetifying th ablishraent of a d'fferential rate by the example o the British Government in India, that allows its Sepoy soldiers a much smaller sum than it finds it necessary to give to its European troops. As several negro regiments have threatened mutiny unless they are allowed equal pay with the whites, it is probable that Con gress will conceCe the point, the more especially es the need of the Government for men is great, and no one can tell where they are to come from if the negroes as a body be disheartened by what they consider injustice. An amendment having been offered to a clause of the Enrolment Act to the effect that clergymen not engaged in trade or any secular business should be exempt from military service—an amendment which, if carried, would have compelled such preachers as the Rev Henry Ward Beecher to forego the secular business of lecturing, or take their chance of shouldering the rifle—Mr. Cox, of Ohio, expressed his opinion that the clergy had done more than any other body of men in the country to produce, embitter, and prolong the war ; and that such " pestiferous" persons ought by no means to be exempted from military duty. Mr. Eldridge, of Wisconsin, while agreeing with Mr. Cox that the preachers were intermeddlers and stirrersaip of mischief, was willing to accept any preacher who would declare on his honour that he never had introduced, and never would introduce, politics into his sermons. This suggestion was received with loud laughter; but the amendment having been put to the vote was summarily rejected. As the bill now stands the clergy of all denominations are liable to military duty with the rest of the community, and must either fight or pay. At a later stage of the debate Mr. Fernando Wood proposed to exempt from the draught all persons " who, from conscien tious disbelief in the humanity. necessity, or even tual success of the war, are opposed to its further prosecution until an effort should have been made, and failed, to end it by negotiation." As, notwith standing the madness of the hour, this wide ex emption would have included a full half of the American people—the women and the preachers excepted, Mr Wood's proposition fell to the ground, though 23 Democratic representatives were found to vote in its favour. On the following day it was moved to exempt members of the Society of Friends, and all other persons having conscientious scruples against fighting, upon condition that they would make themselves useful in taking care of escaped and freed negroes. A representative from Connee 4;eut said there were at least half a million of per country who held the doctrine of non sons in tu t. ..." resistance ; and if they were to be exempted the probability wee that the ranks would be recruited those of the army. The very much faster then amendment, like its preeleeeesors, was rejected, and the non-resistants will theref4 - we have the privilege of paying for the faith that is in them should an unhappy turn of the wheel inscribe their names on the grim r6ll of battle. NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION. The gem4al annual meeting of this association was held on Saturday at Rooms; his Royal Highness the Dukd of Cambridge, Prez.ident, in the chair. The room was unusually eowded, and among katera present were Earl Dude, Earl GroV7enor, Lord Elcho, Lord '41.1r,y, Lord C.)l - Gen. Hay, Sir John Anson, Sir James R. Di*eng . de, Gen. Sir James Campbell, Sir John Burgoyne, G.C.B„ Gen. Boileau, Sir John gjielley, General Eyre, Colonel M'Murdo, Hon. Arthur Hinna,lgd o Colonel Loyd Lindsay, Captain St. John Mildmay, and a lar4o 4amber of officers of the Volunteers. His ROYAL HIGHNESS, in opening the proceedings, Bald that the task which he had to perform on that occasion was a very simple one, as they had only met there to dis cuss what might ho thought advisable to do during the pre sent year, and to hear a statP-9Pnt of the position of the National Rifle Association as it now ‘seaad, With regard to its financial prospects, and, in fact, generally, Ine.t,b.cleght he was quite justified in saying that the association was progressing in a very satisfactory manner. Their in come, though by no means a large one, had been sufficient to meet their requirements, sled he was happy to add, was in a state of progressive increase from year to year. Their funded property was still very e•sle.l4 pot only compared with what they wished it to be, bet .14th what it ought to be; still, it was increasing. (neer, hear.) At the same time, whaeo ISE felt justified in speaking tlas hopeful manner of the lands of the asscciaticn, he thought it right to observe that ho trusted their friends would nut press for an extra or unusual increase of tbcir expenditure. It would be very unwise indeed if they were to attempt any extra expenditure merely because they heppened to have a little larger amount of funds in their hands than usual. Until they were in a position to feel that their finances were secure, he thought they had better endeavour by all means in their power to increase their funded property till they could insure their future stability. Their funded property last year only amounted to .0,056, and to that during the past year they had made an addition of £616, so that the funded proporty of the association now amounted to £1,209. It might be thought by some that as there had been this addition the association ought to do something more to ex tend its general usefulness, but it had been decided by the Council—and in the propriety of that decision he fully con curred—that they ought to have a much larger sum in funded property than £l,OOO before they undertook more than they had hitherto done. The income of the association had increased from £9,087 in 1552 to £12,004 in 1863, showing a clear increase of nearly £3,000. The total num ber of prizes in 1862 was 104, their value being £3,034. In 1863 these prizes were increased to 332, of the value of £4,386, so that there ware 200 more prizes, while in amount the value was £l,OOO more in 1863 as compared with 1862. It would be satisfactory to know, and more particularly to those connected with the volunteer corps of the country, that that amount of £l,OOO so added to the prizes had been given almost entirely to the list of long Enfield prizes. That matter had been very fully discussed at their last year's meeting, and a strong feeling was then expressed, in which he to a great extent concurred, that a sufficient number of prizes had not been given to the long Enfield, and the meeting would now see that the Council had added nearly £l,OOO to that class of prizes. Coming then to the subject of entries, he might mention that the competitors for the Queen's Prize in 1862 amounted to 913, while in 1863 they increased to 1,146, showing an additioa of more than 200. The total volunteer entries in 1862 were 1,283, while in 186:3 they reached the number of 2,733, showing an increase of more than 1,500. The total "all comers" entries in 1862 amounted to 3,269, while last year they increased to 4,684, showing, again, an increase of nearly 800. The total amount of volunteers' entry in 1863 was .£3,059, and the surplus over the expenditure last year was £379. That comprised all that was necessary to state to the meeting as to the financial position of the society, but he need hardly add that it was very desirable to do all that lay in their power to im prove its position in that respect. 'With that view it had been thought that by adding to the entries for the Queen's Prize a considerable increase might be gained, and he quite concurred in the suggestion, It was therefore proposed by the Cowecil that, instead of having only one competitor from each company, two might be eolected, and that the entry, which had hitherto been only 10s„ should bo raised to 20s. Of course, the entry was purely voluntary—none were obliged to enter or compete. But he could not help thinking that it was a very advisable thing to adopt the change, because by such means the financial position of the society would be strengthened, and he thought this was a legitimate and proper way of arriving at such a satisfactory result. On a previous occasion allusion had been made to the advantages which would arise if they eould get county and colonial associations to join and become affiliated with the parent society, and in that respect there had been a great improvement. The National Rifle Association had now connected with it 31 county and 14 colonial associations. He believed the Council were most anxious that they should not touch their funded property till it amounted to the sum of £lO,OOO. That might appear to some rather a large amount, but ho certainly thought the decision was a wise and pru dent resolve, and he trusted no attempt would be made to trench upon the small sum they had now in hand, which was, in fact, all the property the association possessed. It was true that the association had found great favour in the sight of the public, and was increasing in favour from year to year ; but still it must be borne in mind that all they were receiving was, so to speak, from casual annual receipts, a nd that they were, in fact, living from h an d t o mo uth. What was desired, therefore, was that the association should be possessed of a reserve fund to meet any future unfore seen contingencies that might arise, so as to place it on a more secure and permanent basis, lie hoped therefore that his observations would meet any suggestions which might arise as to extending their s ph ere o f act i on for the present, and that they might in the mode he had suggested endea vour to secure their permanent utility ratber than merely ext en d the operation which the liberality of the public had hitherto enabled them to accomplish. The present was the first meeting of the year. Another would be held in May, when the details necessary for the arrangement of the great Wimbledon meeting might be more fully discussed. It would be as well, however, that even thus early the Coun cil should hear any suggestions which the meeting had to make. Although it wee not desirable to go deeply into details, yet anything which required time for consideration and decision should be brought forward now. The report of the association showed the spirit in which the Council were acting. A rifle conference had taken place a short titan since, which had been on the most friendly terms with the association ; and the Council flattered themselves that most of the suggestions which had been made by them had been most favourably received by the conference. There was one subject touched upon at that conference connected with which he had been requested to read a letter which had just been received from the Secretary of State for War, on the assimilation of the musketry practice of various rifle corps. He believed that hitherto that had not l i mn quite so uniform as could have been wished. It was felt by all that to make the practice of Volunteer corps useful, and to really test and know their comparative merits, it was absolutely essen tial that the practice should in all cases be placed on abso lutely the same footing; otherwise, it was obvious that the marksmen's badges, which were awarded on the same grounds, could not have the same value, It was therefore essential that it should be clearly understood that that which was the practice in one corps should be identical with the practice of others. In order to obtain the advantage of having an authoritative rule on that question the Council had communicated with Earl De Grey, whose reply was as fullows " War-office, Feb. 26. "My Lord,—l have the honour to acknowledge the re ceipt of your letter of the 15th inst. drawing my attention to the want of uniformity that prevails in the class tiring of the difterent Volunteer corps, and the desirableness of estab lishing some general system of musketry practice and super intendence for the whole force. " 'I he subject which your Lordship has thus brought to my notice received my special attention when the existing •regnlations for the Volunteer force were under consideration —but at that time, after mature deliberation, it was not deemed expedient to lay down any more specific rule for the guidance of commanding officers in carrying on the musketry practice of their respective corps than that the regulations of the army should be adhered to as closely as the circum stances of each corps would permit. As, however, the Council of the National Rifle Association, basing its opinion no doubt upon the wide experience which it has gained in watching the progress of rifle shooting throughout the country, appears to be now impressed with the necessity of establishing some special rules for conducting the musketry practice of the Volunteer force, I request that your Lordship will have the goodness to communicate to the Council my willingness to receive any further suggestions on this sub ject which it may be prepared to offer, and that these, when submitted to me, shall be taken into attentive consideration, provided they do not involve any principle at variance with the system of instruction pursued at the School of Musketry. —I have the honour to be, my Lord, your Lordship's obe dient servant, " DE GREY AND RIPON." In conformity with that letter the Council had at once ap pointed a committee to inquire into the whole subject, and the result of their inquiry would at a future day be laid be fore the members of the Rifle Association. (Hear, hear.) Lieut. •Col. BIGGS moved, and Sir JAMES CAMPBELL seconded, the motion for the adoption of the report of the Council. ➢lr. TEMPLER (Harrow Rifles) said that he hoped facili ties would be given for competition between the Enfield, the large bore Whitworth, the Lancaster, and Storm's breech loading rifle, and that prizes would be awarded for them. He also wished to draw the attention of the Council to the necessity for an alteration in the present V notch in the back sight of the rifle, and to impress upon them the value which would accrue if a plain horizontal bar were substi tuted for it. (Hear.) After a few words from Lord ELcito, who stated that the subject of classification of rifles for prizes was engaging the attention of the Council, Lord BURY said that the question of sighting had not only been before the Council, but had been submitted by them to the authorities at the War-office, for the purpose of substituting the horizontal bar at the back sight, and a line down the middle, instead of the present mode of sighting. As yet, however, they had not received any reply on the subject. Captain APGREGOR (London Scottish) hoped that no such important change in the targets to be used at Wim bledon as those exhibited on the diagrams in front of the platform would be made until they had been cautiously considered and tested ; and Lieut. GOODLIFFE (London Rifle Brigade) expressed a hope that whatever change might be made with respect to the targets, the disc-marking pricciple would be retained. After a few words from Mr. RADCLIFFE (of the South Middlesex), who was of opinion that a prize ought to be given for the Enfield rifle, to be shot for in the same way as the Association Cup was shot for, Lord Eecno said that many of the suggestions that had been made had already engaged the attentive consideration of the Council. Some of them had not been decided upon, but yet 4e thought that he might go so far as to say in the name of the Cenneil that an All Corners' Enfield Prize would be shot for by members of ;,he azseelaifon, and that it would form part of the programme for their next prime meeei;- ing. Some other of the points referred to would be found in the report of the council. (Hear.) He thought if gen tle,n4e??e would refer to that report they would see that the council were 4 uite alive to all these subjects, and did all they could to increase the v.sef4lnecs ,qf the association. Capt. I‘l'Gregor had consulted them as to see propriety of hold ing a rifle conference, and, being desirous of obtai4ing every possible information of the slightest advantage, they net only highly approved that conference, but sent Captain Page to .t.teral it. (Hear.) A very valuable paper was read ou the 12.4.b:;e:.t og pirctpar targets by Mr. Hemming. Although f hr. eonnril fully ad miti3d t l ti r leGrritinal value of the principle of the concentric circle, et 11 t4erp was once difficulty found in applying it to the pre:eat square targets. They had submitted the whole question of Mr. Rewn;.inp . 's paper to a committee to ascertain how the cora binaGon'olf 1.48 e.., l ,e.kes with the existing form of target could tea best eatrieed GeV', and t4(.4e ,ceetie! Le No doubt that theo reticallyv‘e system of circles was pilOa t tp,9.44, Who pow- . , en the eubjeee eensieted.pf :,he mittee appointed ' - 'eleelf (Lord Uleho3, They Kennedy, Lord Bury, and oe 'a was desirable to came to the tumult:mug conclusion that e, e, have this system of concentric circles, 4ii.t that they oug,, not to be more than four in number, as there was 4. 4; iTt;.'lll ty in applying them to the present form of target. If they liad more than four circles there would be great difficulty in scoring and keeping a correct account. At present a bull's eye eounted four, a centre three, and an outer two. If they had more than four circles, therefore, the chances of error and the difficulty of correct marking would be very great indeed, (Hear.) The plan proposed by Mr. Hemming, founded on mathematical calculations, was, for the first series of targets, circles commencing from the centre of 12, 7,;5, and 6 inches distance; for the second series, IS, 101, 71, and 9 inches; and for the third series, 24, 14, 10, and 12 inches. The adoption of the circle system would involve a change in the marking. A bull's eye would count four, centre three, middle two, and outer one. If the new system were adopted it would be desirable that the targets should be provided at private ranges as speedily as possible, in order that the Volunteers should practise upon them before coming to Wimbledon. As the targets were Gft. in height, and the diameter of the outer circle was more than Ott., a portion of the upper part of the target would be truncate(' ; but as the deviation of the shots was most frequently in a lateral direction rather than in elevation, the Council did not consider it of great importance that the shot going over would fail to be registered. Lord Ducie, he said, had re cently fired 150 rounds at 1,000 yards, and had only missed the target five times. It would be better, no doubt, to have the target mathematically correct, but he believed this would be impracticable, With respect to the " squadding" at Wimbledon, arrangements would, he said, be made for doing so with all gentlemen who sent in their names in sufficient time. lie agreed that the system of disc marking ought to be maintained, and the Council were also of that opinion. An estimate had been received of the expense of converting every target to bo fired at at Wimbledon into the Swiss system of marking. The cost of the alteration would be about £lOO, but ho believed the outlay would be judicious, and that the results would be satisfactory to all who attended the next meeting. (Hoar.) In reply to Mr. HEMMING, Lord EEUILY said that if the association could do every thing precisely,as they wished there was no doubt but that they would adopt the concentric circle system of targets. A target of this kind, 12 feet in diameter, would perhaps be the best that could be adopted, but to do this now they would have to alter the whole of the targets, not only at Wimbledon, but throughout the country, and if this change were mado at Wimbledon the missed shots that would pass over the top of the target would go into Combe-wood, and render the country behind the targets unsafe. As a rule the misses, however, did not go over the target, but de viated laterally on each side. General liar said that in this matter of the targets, as in every other, there were two sides to the'question. lie alto gether differed from the opinion of Lord Bury, that the de viation of the shots was mainly lateral. On the contrary, his experience led him to believe that the chief difficulty was in the elevation. If the concentric circle system was to be adopted, they should certainly have a target of more than six feet in height. He was afraid, however, that the association was rather losing sight of the chief object with which it was formed. The object of all the training of the volunteers ought to be to teach them to fire at something in the field, and not at a bull's-eye. What they would want in the field was either oblong or square ; there was nothing circular except great guns, and even those were changing. (Laughter.) By the proposed system the outer circle cut off the upper corners of a target. A shot there would not count, but it would cut through the head of an infantry soldier at that height. (Hear, hear.) A man might win the Queen's prize at Wimbledon, but in the battlefield he might not be worth sixpence as an effective shot. He hoped that they would not hastily abandon a system of targets which was eminently fitted for making volunteers useful in the field. After some further observations against any change of the present system of targets, the vice-presidents and mem bers of the Council were unanimously re-elected, and on the motion of Lord E!cho his Royal Highness tho' Duke of Cambridge was chosen President of the Association for the fifth time. The Duke of CAMBRIDGE, in returning thanks, said he certainly was very much disposed to concur in the opinion expressed by General Hay that it would not bo wise to attach too great importance to mere prize match shooting• The association had nothing to do with volunteers as such, but it should not be lost sight of that the object of all the shooting was not that of the mere gratification of one gen• tleman shooting better than another, but for the purpose of getting such a system of rifle shooting throughout the country that, if at any time it should happen—though God forbid that it ever should happen—the volunteers might be relied upon to act is the field as the regular army, Neither Lira- THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 29, 1864. self nor General H:ey would he performing their duty if they did not encourage those efforts which they believed to be conducive to the real efficiency of the volunteer force cel the country. If great delicacy of shooting WAS alone re quired, than this system of circular targets would no eloub• he very valuabia, but sornethir.g more than that was required, which was that they should have such shooting as would make them useful in the field. (Cheers.) The proceedings were taen brought to a ciose. The Easter Monday Volunteer Review. The following is the report of the committee appointed to decide on the most favourable site for holding the review of the metropolitan Voluctcer forces on Easter Monday next, March 28th : My Lord,—l visited Farley-heath on Wednesday week, in company with Lord Truro, and the oblervations I have to make upon it are as follows : I. First, as regards the ground itself, nothing can apps • rently be more suitable for a divisional Gold-day. The heath is about two miles long by one broad; it is generally undu lating, but is nowhere steep, and the upper part is a broad plateau, very suitable for marching past. At one point it rises to a height which commands the whole extent, an I would therefore be convenient for spectators. There is no gore or long heather. The soil is pure sand, so that it would not be muddy even in the heaviest rain, and is covered with very short heather and Iceland moss. There is an open pine wood in one part of the ground, very suitable for skirmish ing, while in another part there is a broad ravine containing cottages and orchards. The crest is perfectly open. The scenery all round is most beautiful, and the lane by which the heath is approached from Chilworth is very picturesque. 2. As regards access, Guildford station is three miles and a half from the path going by Chilworth, but somewhat less if approached by a lane marked on the Ordnance map, which we did not observe. Lord Truro has undertaken the arrangements with the railway authorities, and he informs nie that the managers state that they have no difficulty what ever in conveying 20,000 men, and were prepared to make the requisite arrangements as regards station accommoda tion. They will remove the cattle pens at Chilworth and bring into use some railway sidings at Shalford, which have hitherto not been used. They engage to have return traffic trains in perfect readiness to receive successive regiments every 10 minutes, both at Shalford and Chilworth. I understand that trains can coma down from Ken sington, Vauxhall, Waterloo, Charing cross, and London bridge. Trains would also come, as they did last year, to Brighton, via Kensington, while Chilworth is also accessible from the whole of Surrey, Sussex, Kent, and Hampshire. 3. As regards accommodation, there is ample stable room at Guildford, and I am informed by Lord Truro that a farmer will erect a temporary stable in his meadow adjoin ing the Chllworth station, Messrs. Taunton, of the Cannon Brewery, Guildford, express their readiness to provide re freshments for any number of men, but there will no doubt be abundance of other parties both from the neighbourhood and from London ready to set up booths with refreshments on the edge of the heath. In conclusion, I have only to say that I cannot imagine any situation being found within the range of London which unites so many advantages as Farley-heath.—l am, nay lord, your obedient servant, CHARLES BUXTON, On behalf of the Committee. The Right Hon, Lord Elcho. At the adjourned meeting held on Thursday at the offices of the National Rifle Association it was moved by Lord Elcho, and seconded by Captain Templer, " That the report of the committee recommending Farley-heath, be adopted, and that, subject to the approval of the lords of the manor, it be selected as the site for the field-day on Easter Mon day." The question having been put, there appeared, for the motion, 13 ; against, 4. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. SPECTATOR.—The British Government has taken another step in the Dano German affair, and en countered another humiliation. It is a fixed idea with Earl Russell that if people can only be induced to meet and talk over their quarrels they are sure come to an arrangement more or less acceptable. He acknowledges, indeed, when the proposition comes from the Emperor of the French, that dis cussion very often only embitters dispute ; but then a French proposal and a proposal by a 1% hig chief, you see, are such very different things. Accordingly he proposed to all the Powers at war that they should'eencluda an armistice, nnd with the leower engaged but not at war, the Diet, and the Pow e rs neither engaged nor at war, should hold a confer ence, and settle the dispute upon some new basis. The only part of this proposal which was beneficial was the armistice, for nations once cool are at all evente lees likely than before to rush again into battle, The 4.ustrian and ruse an Qoveenreents were well aware of this, and they therefore declined the armistice, but accepted the conference, being ready for any amount of talk provided only they could go on killing, occupying, and decreeing un disturbed. Indeed, the talk was rather an advan tage, f.et' ti ight amuse bvstanders ? who were very quiescent, Intt Is4gin4ng td get' other an eager look in the eyes. The government: meanness to eccept even this wretched coneeseion, ranee gave way in some disdain, and if little Denmark will only consent, which is doubtful, and the Diet will reply in the affi.rmative. which would he for it a hutnilitibff, Wen a conference will be held; What is it to chat about ? t cannotti re-effirm the Treaty of leto . i, fne titet geettinent already hut the Siena. tuns of e.t a majority of the German' btates, or ben• murk, and of the five Powers, and while not one of them flits yet made an effort to carry out its letter two are acting in direest defiance of its spirit, To re• affirm its provision would ho merely tQ stultify the repent action of the Diet and of the enemies of the Diet, to militia the oeception of Holstein to an absurd display of official impudence, and to show the invasion of Schleswig in its true light—that of a crime poinmitted in order to give Prussia and Austria a positintt pf greet advantage in Germany. Nor can the conference be called simply to secure the concessions from Denmark, upon which, accord ing to Count leeoleberg and Herr von Bistnark, their obligation to keep faith depends. ror fa;legland, Finance, and Russia have alreedy offered to guaran tee the performance of those conditions, and a new treaty in t4at ;en so would be only a renewal of the pledges in spite of which the germane commenced killing the Danes. Consequently, some new basis must be feuiel ; and it can only strengthen or weaken the Danish monarchy. The former theory is out of the pale of discussion by men responsible for their time, and the latter must be in some form or other the intention of the proposers. England, therefore, after advising the Danes to evacuate II elstein, after promising to compel them to revise their internal constitution, after, there is too much meson to fear, preventing Sweden from marching to their aid, after exciting the wrath of all Germany by recom mendations to moderation, is about to legalise that diminution of Danish strength which she 12 years ago framed a treaty in order to prevent. That, to begin with, is a pieasant reeelt of F i ler' Russell's diplomacy ; but that is nothing, the point being the ext ?tit of this diminution. It cannot be that Hol stein is to be assigned to Germany and Schleswig to Denmark—for that compromise would be rea sonable, and perhaps just, might have been secured at any moment witineat war, and world not give the Germans full oontrol of Kiel. besides, it would make the invasion of Schleswig as absurd as it was wicked, and though the military tyrannies care little about crime, they are aware that vitriol will bite steel, and fees' ridicule accordingly. It is barely pos• sible that the basis resay be the snrreeder of Holstein and South Schleswig, for that nroposai has in it sufficient of the necessary flavour of violence— South Schleswig belonging to Germany, just as Alsane end Heligoland do—and it would cover Kiel. But theta what I;ecetnes of the indivisibility of the two Dachies, and the riniata ni the Luke of Augustenburg, and the pretensions of the Diet, and the Treaty of 1852 ? The Diet, at least, will not consent ; and if they do not consent, then, on the next opportunity, say next time it freezes, the Diet will threaten war, amid seuetria end Vrussia will help them, and will then take the affair out of their hands, and Schleswig will be overrun, and the old swindle will once more be a basis for a fresh con ference Galled to legalise illegal plunder. That can hardly be the solutioc, end we greatly fear that one whispered about is the only one that will ever be proposed. This one contemplates the junction of Schleswig and Holstein into a single Duchy as a German State, with full self-governing powers, King Chtiet:ae to e Duke, and the Augustenburg family to be declared Beet in eeeceeion to his own. In other words, England, in her fear Of incotue-tax, is to propose that the most violent act of aggression committed in our time shall be triumphantly sue cesefnl, that the nation she has tried to protect shall be stripped of a vitally important province, which the nation she has tried' to maize will acquire in full sovereignty. The war begun nominally to pre vent a few Germans continuing within a free but Danish monarchy, is to end in placing many Danes under a German and very much less free Duchy, under, indee4l, ajict which is controlled by des. potic sovereigns, and is Created, as the fundamental articles of the Confederation avow, in the interest of the Princes. And all England will be called upon by a Premier, whose single claim to rule is that he protects English honour abroad, to sanction and approve a yeluntary ip.itiativn taken by Eng land towards betraying an ally. IVe are ut only to be "friendly bystanders" while our friend is being garrotted, but to suggest to the ruffian that a handkerchief would bo a quieter instrument of compression than his arm! LONDON REVIEW.—The tragedy of Monday last recalls perhaps to some older men now living the Newgate scenes which were more common in the days of onr fathers eed grandfathers, For 36 years London has seen no such sight. The wretched and s;ciseniog spectacle was only tolerated this week because of its imperative necessity, for strict justice towards the murderer in the long run is mercy towards society? Tee rough and hybrid crews of vessels which, though nonsin Illy Englieb, never arproach niece shores, know little leas ; and appreciate only the plainest lessons. Many a wretched sailor's life on board hangs by a thread, Toe English merchant service is itself in reality a colluvies gentium. Ships engaged at a distance in the foreign trade are usually manned by a comple ment of men, who, it may be, neither speak our own language nor have a single feeling in common with us. Malaya, Chinamen, half-east Spaniards, Italians, Greeks, Egyptians, all mixed together by the fortune of the seas, and talking a barbarous patois that would be only half understood in any European port; these are the crews that navigate the ocean under England's flag and English papers. Awful tyranny, cruelties, such as it is only given to fierce and unreclaimed vagabonds to devise, bes tiality, lawlessness, and misery, are often the rule and not the exception in such an occupation. Often —but how often remains a secret with the deep— murder stalks with a ghastly boldness across the deck; now releasing the tortured victim of opprese sion from his burden of life, and at other times in flicting retributiVe vengeance on the oppressor, It is for the sake of the long and dreary hours spent by unhappy seamen ou the deep seas hun dreds of miles away from any land, or from any controlling eye, that London has endured the pollu tion of such a spectacle. No Englishman, high or low —from the judge on the bench of the Old Bailey to the ordinary villain who stands below—has or can have the least conception of the kind of mis creant to whom this terror is meant to be addressed. There are, no doubt, masses in England altogether out of the reach of the sympathies or influence of the educated classes of society—abandoned men, women, and children, whom charity seldom reaches and to whom religion is a thing unknown. Even these have ties among themselves which they acknowledge, and social restrictions of however rude a character. It is different upon the seas. There men who are to roam together have hardly the connecting link of a common enterprise. Their few months or weeks over they will drift away into fresh sinks of iniquity, having gained only some new and brutal experience by their last voyage. From such a class the unhappy men are drawn who suffered last Monday upon the scaffold; and to such a class their ignominious end speaks. The details of the scene have been painted with more horrible power than usual by the newspaper press. We prefer to believe that in the almost pictorial de scriptions that have been given by correspondent upon correspondent, the object has not been to pan der to any mere taste for sensations. If there ever was an execution that it is a mercy to make notori ous it was this. Perhaps it may at some critical and lonely hour strengthen the terror with which' the name of some British consul is regarded by the villainous offcasts of the seas. Nor can it be said that the men who died on Monday died in heroical guise, The mnrderers of the day in this country frequently display upon the gallows as indifference and a callousness that arises less frean ferocity than from ignorance of what death is. Themiseraable cri minals who never hesitated about shedding blood wholesale upon the FlowrfLand showed, when they came to die, how little was their nerve „het it was a question of dying like dogs amidst the execrations of a mob. There was little courage, and, strange to say, less bravado in their demeanour, as they powered in a row upon the brink of death. Lopez, the man who had planned all the murders and executed at least one, came out of his cell alone with a defiant air. Before the end of a few minutes he slop 41natest to falling, lis lips were parchild i 4suis clasped and pinched one appther, and his eye wore the frightened look of an animal just before its death. Duranno, whose crime seemed the cruellest of all, was deadly pale, and trembled and shivered limb by limb. Blacco—a giant in physical etrength, who had struick demi the niate, aisid who made it his boast that be had flung him while praying feqr mercy into the sea, who stabbed the sleeping captain, and beat to death the captain's brother—came forth, says a spectator of the scene, "as if the very agony of death was on him,"—so strongly did he show his fear. Raw spirits were given him on his way to the scaffold, and yet, twee with this, the 'cope Was no sooner put about his neck that' htfi fainted, and had to be piepped up in a chair till the drop fell. A terrible and sickly scene ! There was nothing in it to move admiration even among the most hardened of their species. It recalled none of the days when bold highwaymen, amid the laughter 7.:11G1 congratu lations of their friends the nosegays of their Wefe tleewn Jaunty and defiant so Tyburn, encouraging one another and encouraged by the crowd. When the five men on Monday were led out to death, the swooning agony that came upon them was the agony of men who knew well that they died the outcasts that they had lived, and that no living thihg Weald (shed one tear when they were" pup. The most wretched consideration connected with a meat wretched ireectacle is that there is scarcely a way of reaching the class of criminals to whom these five ruffians belonged, except by brute fear, and that even this argument malwa itself heard but faintly. Tnoue santie of unhappy men who have been from their childhood enemies of mankind this hour are living the kind of life that was the life on board the . .I.,levecry Land. Th ere seems no h ope for humanity HI respect of them, No philanthropist can ever reach them, for they feints a world to which there is no acme,. Thera tire some evils in the world which seem irreparable, and all that men can do in an ordinary way is to banish thought of them. Life is full of misery; but no misery or wickedness is pro bably 30 intense at. ao unoheeked as that which is the let of those most interested in the fate of the five pirates who last Monday paid the penalty of their misdeeds. ExeltrelEß.—Two or throe years ago there was great activity in the French dockyards, so, says Lord Clarence Paget, it was necessary that we should go ahead, which we did at a great rate in blunders. We capped all the errors in the French yards. We built huge ships which would not turn, naval crocodiles, and when the defect was discovered wo only built more of them. The Warrior and the Black Prince having been found unhandy, the Minotaur, Agincourt, and Northumberland, the largest • ships ever built, as Lord C. Paget says, were added to the unwieldy class. It had then been ruled that an armoured ship of the greatest speed could not be of less tonnage than 6,800; but Mr. Reed, the present constructor, represented to the Admiralty that they were building ships of an enormous tonnage and proportionate cost, having the Nutt mentioned of steering badly, which would expose them in action to be outmanceuvred and run into; and he undertook to furnish vessels much smaller, handier, and well pro tected, at a much cheaper rate. And accordingly he has built a vessel under 1,000 tons, which, plated fore and aft, will carry the Heaviest guns, also, another, somewhat larger. Lord Clarence is not as communicative as could be wished about the per formances of these vessels. He says in general terms that their behaviour at sea is satisfactory, bat not a word about their rate of speed, which is the main point. For if Mr. Reed's ships, thoroughly well protected, can carry the very heaviest guns at the highest rate of speed, they must be more than equal in efficiency to the huge unwieldy ships which cannot turn within the compass of a league or so. And farther, Mr. Reed's success would dispose of the assumption that ghprt of the tannage of 6,800 the highest speed is not attainable together with complete armament, defensive, and offensive. But Lord Clarence Paget is unfortunately generally re served upon the point of speed. He tells us, how ever, that a vessel is building of great promise in thin dll important Bertiecilareeethe l'eallas. Indeed, he goes so far as to say that if she succeeds she will be the most remarkable vessel the country ever pos sessed. Her model is copied from the French, and its peculiarity is what Lord Clarence Paget de scribes as as elonated bow, which we take to lee an upright stem, to support hei in a head-sea and pre vent pluneing. ,Lord Clarence says the prin ciple is adopted by the Admiralty, and oddly enough in the next breath proceeds to state that two small vessels are building, one with the elon gated how and the other without, which is a whim sical mode of adopting a principle. But so it is, that every thing is experimental in our naval con struction. And it is not much to the honour of our science in building that we have always to follow the French, and as we servilely do so in improve ment, we do also blindly in their faults. We have repeatedly adverted to the delusion that pre vails as to the Warrior's reputed suc cess. The Bellerophon has put her to shame. Instead of the Warrior's 6,000 tons the Bellerophon is 4,200, and with I,poo, lees tonnage she carries plate of 6 inches instead of the Warrior's 41 inch, and an armament that will throw a broadside of three-quarters of a ton of iron or steel, which is more than the Warrior can do. Her speed is expected to equal what is also expected of the Pallas, bnt here again - 4:4ord Clarence Paget deals in vague generalities, and does not specify the rate. If these vessels prove successful the Admiralty will deserve great credit for the improvement. But still we have to ask at what minimum of tontne, and with what build, i; to . 00, oi.?t*ett the iiikicitntiee of speo'cl;'OhinblherVwitli t he pbst'iii.OfeetiOn and the most effeCtive arrnament—effeetive not in the ere number of guns, but range a n 4 rie4e o f matal. As for complete I;rotectiOn against improved An , ' improving glihnery, it is alerts— •• impracti cable. to be lt will be something gained, bowers- to have got from the unwieldy, unhandy WaeTio' r of 6,000 to the Bellerophon, ben (Nporiqr both in de fence (40 power of attack, of 4,200, and in process imProYement a yeseel way be built ae opener to the Bellerophon as she is to the Warrior. And in the same proportion smaller, cheaper, and in every way more efficient. At last we may come to a float in,ss, fleet ~pun-earriage, a vessel of the greatest speed and handiness, able to carry one or two guns of the longest rouge a nd h eav i est we i ght of metal, and this is the gfeat iitsideratuin. SATURDAY REVIEW.—If any one with an imagi native mind were inclined to personify so prosaic an 1 idea as the ten-pound county franchise, ho might make of it the subject of a truly tragic tale. A touching myth might be constructed out of its sor rowful story. The enthusiasm it once inspired, the uses it has served, and the uncomfortable dislike with which its advances are repelled now that it is DO longer needed, naturally suggest the similitude of the maiden wooed, persuaded, and betrayed. Unhappily for the political Don J wins in whose honour so ill requited a confidence was reposed, the simile seems likely to be followed cut still further. Their heart-broken victim, though driven from their door, will not submit in silence to her wrongs, and her importunity is becoming exceedingly vexatious. Those who in times past overstepped the bound© of a mere flirtation with her have mended their ways. They desire to keep sober, settled, respectable so ciety now. They wish to forget the unseemly in timacies in which they once delighted, and to keep clear of such low company as reform projects, fran chise extensions, and the like. But their victim will not leave them to fulfil in peace their resolutions of amendment of life. She will put them to the blush by her unwelcome presence just at the most incon venient moments. Is there no remedy ? Must they always have the sins of their youth cast in their teeth, now that they have reached sober and tranquil middle-age, and have put aside the guilty sentimentalisms of their youth ? Is there no way of reducing Mr. Locke King to silence ? When a fashionable young man, having duly har vested his wild oats, resigns himself to respectabi lity and a bride, it is usual, in the interests of order, to station detectives in plain clothes at the door of the church, in order, in the language of the police, " to keep an eye upon previous attachments. Can no similar protection be afforded to the once wild but now repentant leaders of parties in the House of Commons? Stern moralists may think that any compassion for those who are undergoing the na tural retribution of their own errors is overstrained. Be this as it may, at least some pity is due to those who are suffering for the sins of others. The ma jority of the present House of Commons have never bowed the knee to Baal. It seems hard theref-,, re upon them that they should be doomed to s discussion, or rather two o r th ree dise: `o annual assions, which can issue in no practical result The measure pro posed by Mr. Locke King obtains an illusory sup port from members who have pledged themselves to it in days when reform of any kind was thought to be the wining cause, or who may now repro. sent eenetituencies that have been taught to apply this particular cry as a test of political orthodoxy. A few of the most extreme men may perhaps sup port it from the more desire to get the crowbar any where into the fissures of the building which they are eager to pull down. But it is very doubtful if there is a single man who supports it upon its in trinsic merits. The angry controversies of the last 15 years, if they have done no other good, have at least had the effect of thoroughly discrediting what is called bit. by-bit Reform. At the commencement of those discussions an impression prevailed, even among practical statesmen, that the reform of the Constitution was a very simple matter. It was merely a question of addition and subtraction. Add a little more power tct the poorer classes here,take a little away from the richer classes there, and continue that pro cess until the supremacy of the one over the other should culminate in manhood suffrage, Some men might wish to go further than others; some might hope to stop short, at least for a considerable num ber of years, at some intermediate stage. But the only dligerenee was one of degree. There was no contest whatever as to the direction of the movement which the word reform was meant to imply, The vehement controversy which has since tekea place has operated a great change in the modes of thought under which these proposal, are examined. r. Bright's failure to i t nAuenee the middle clae aes , a n d the ctirioske tessiosaa which are being te:,,ght by the vvorlelng oS practical experiments in. America and France, have dispelled the sentimental and practi cal halo which surrounded tle question of reform. Mr. Bright's speeches a hard pecuniary mean i ng. cave shown that reform h as his own The object at which, by avowal, it is directed is to transfer the possession of land and money from the hands of one set of people to the hands of another set of people. If Mr. Bright knows what he is about, it has be come clear that the transference of political power would carry with it a transference of a more mate rial and sensible kind. On the other hand, the examples of America and France have convinced people that things which to some minds are of more consequence even than the rights of property are placed in hazard by democratic change. It is now no matter of theory, but of plain fact, that demo. cracy necessarily carries with it equality ; and that equality, by the operation of an irresistible law, verges to the concentration of power in a single hand. RAILWAY NEWS.—The delusion of " cheaper fares and rates of the Continent" is one so wide spread and general in this country that it seems well worth while to oppose it by a few facts. Be fore us lies Bradshaw's familiar Guide, and at its side its French brother, Indicateur Universel ; Bul letin Official Chemins de Fer. The Indicateur is not only the brother, but the twin-brother of much• abused, useful Bradshaw, for, leaving aside that its form is four times as large, it is arranged exactly on the same plan and after the same system, the diffe rent lines being divided in groups and branches, the trains classified, and the mileage and fares run ning aside of the different stations. Thus, compari son between French and English fares becomes easy, and all we have to do is to translate kilometres into miles, and francs and centimes into pounds, shillings, and pence. We open our Bradshaw at the beginning, and passing over a few columns of abridgements, find that the first railway of which mileage and fares are given together is the Great Northern. We read :—London to Aberdeen-559 miles ; first class, 80s ; second class, 608 ; third class, 40s. In other words, first class, 1 5 7d ; second class, 1 2-7 d ; third class, 6-7 d, Now let us open Bradshaw's French brother, the official "Indicateur." It begins with the line from Paris to Marseilles, styled, in full, " Chemin de Fer de Paris a Lyon et ala Mediterranee." The line we fled is of a length of 863 kilometres, or 515 miles, and the fares for the whole distance aro : First class, 95fr 65e, or £3 16s 6d ; second class, 72fr 50c, or £2 18s; and third class, 53fr 15c, or £2 2i 6d. In other words, th e F renc h fares are at the rate of 1 4 5d per mile first class, against 1 5 7d English; of 1 3-7 d second class, against 12-7 d Eng lish; and of very nearly id third olass, against 6-7 d English. These are very notable figures, par ticnlarly as regards third class fares. The third class traveller pays actually less for going over 559 miles of ground in our own country then for a rail way journey of 515 miles in France. Surely there is nothing here in favour of the generally accepted belief in " the cheaper fares and rates of the Con tinent," LAW TIMES.—Sir George Grey has introduced his Bill for the Improvement of Convict Discipline, based upon the recommendations of the commission, some or which are adopted, others rejected. He proposes to extend the term of penal servitude, slightly to curtail the dietary of prisons, to retain the ticket-of•leave, but to make it the reward of good conduct. If the holder should relapse into crime, he is to be remitted to serve out the re mainder of his original sentence, in addition to the sentence for the new offence. The Government prudently abandon the proposition for transporta tion on a :large scale to Western Australia, but only in deference to the feelings of the Eastern colonists, protesting that there is no equity in the demand, and no foundation for the objections zaised. is indeed monstrous that a colony at one end of a great continent should forbid the mother country to send her convicts to another colony that wishes to have them at the other end of that continent, separated as they arc by 3,000 miles of impassable desert, We fear that, as is customary alike with communities and individuals, the assigned reasons for the objection are not the real ones. How ever, they have prevailed, and there is an end of it. This is the substance of the Government scheme, It is a very modest measure. Its weekneaa is that it steers timidly between two systems. There if., the theory of punishment for the purpose bi deterring the criminal by memory of pain and others by his example. There is also the theory of treatment for the purpose of reform and not of lunialament, This last is the system whir.ll we haVe been trying for many yegg t 141 d which has proved an entire failure. The former one remained to be tried. Philanthropy supported the one, reason the other. A great deal was to be urged in favour of both, and (Thai= has been fairly divided between thew. tut few will approve a middle path, aid it will probably be found to fail in prawtice. 'ln truth, the two systems cannot be com bined. Punishment, to be effective, must be sharp, and if sharp it must be short, or it vi' 4 ll lkapac into cruelty. But reformat 4 g t :40 vory slow process, and comne4' loya conllnement and that &man , ' s , e(1. • ablinga9tloo, comforts, and cycn 1114111 , 1es_ 0- •" the honest labolm Aitran,P grey's 1 . clil; not framed fn. " Lne perfecting of either spitem. It is, how -- ing that L.-- tended. • • ver,,,, quite necessary to its work _ Sir' u G vi e.o h rg h e ..oatencea to penal servitude should be ex tNH ll N•intnplaint was made that judges had been louient. But the public do not think so. When longer terms have been inflicted, what a bawl of reproach has been raised by the penny press, and what torrents o f a b use have been poured' out upon the judge for his severity. So long as WOlaW allows R large limit of discretion, it Will be for the most part exercised on the side of mercy, an d in the majority of cases the smallest penalty per mitted by the statute will be inflicted. Only by in creasing the minimum can judges be secured against the clamour that is sure to attend upon large sen tences of crimes that appear to be small, It is one of the merits of the " punishment " theory that it permits of the apportionment of the penalty to th e crime. It is one of the gravest defects of the " Te: formation " theory that 3 compels the subjection of all crimes to ne ar ly th e same apparen t amount of punishment. COUNTRY MARKETS. ,1 - - LE ICESTER—SATURDAY. There was a moderate show of wheat to-day, with a fair attendance of the trade. Business wt.s flat, a nd in trio instances prices were 6d to i s p er qr l ower than last week. Oats in slow demand. Beans quiet. Flour a dull sale. Barley in fair supply, and sales were made to a fair exteo,t., —New white wheat, 42s to f4l:ii ; red, 39s to 423 per 3t) stone. Old red, 38s to 42s 36 stone. Barley, nialt ir * new, 31s t o 36s per qr.; grinding, 27s to 283; old eats, 2os to 28s; new oats, 218 to Ms per 24 stone. 136 ' 116 old, 40s to 42s per 38 stone ; flour, 26s to 32s per 20 stone. YORK— SATU I{DAY. There was a limited show of wheat at market to-d , Y . , , and the sales w ere slow—former quotations being rati!ei, easier. A middli ng supp l y of bArley, with a steady (le . mend, and at about l as t wee k' s rates. A qu i e t d er aand for oats, at pr,:sious prices. Beans as before, but scarce. Wheat, red 37s to 40s Oats.... lSs to 20 0 White do .40s to 458 Beans 380 to 41/3 Barley .26 s t o 32 a P eas 4to --.6 29i Malt, 58s to 60 s p er qr. ; rye, 30s per qr. ; flour,, - to 31s per sack. GRANTHAM—SATURDAY. Old white wheat 438 to 47s ; red, 40s to 43s per .163 G; new white, 42s to 468; red, 39s to 425. Malting b arley 33s 33s to 36s pe r q r ; grinding, 28s to 30s ; oats, old, 23 265; new, 20s to24s; beans, 34s to 375; peas, 348 to 363' NORWICH —SATURDAY. There was a f a i r su ppl y o f w h eat, and pr i ces were about the same as on this day se'nnight, with a very dull t tralle, There was a fair dem an d f or fi ne b ar l ey, which so ld f ill late rates; other sorts dull. White wheat. 44s to 478 R 40s to 36 s 433 Malting barley ...36® to 37s I Chevalier Distilling d 0..... 29s to 30s I Oats.... er bar wheat .... .. .... ........... Flour, 28s Od to —s Od per sack from the t° 2 railer NOTTINGHAM—SATURDAY. The supply of wheat to.•day was pretty fair, there beinf a sprinkling of red and white descriptions. The Barley was was slow, and late prices were hardly realised. B ar , - , 3 " came to hand rather freely, but sales were slow. An a ' rage show of oats, with a flat inquiry. Beans unaltered. —White wheat, from 42s to 47s ; red wheat, 403 to 4 1 s Barley—malting, 30s to 37s ; grinding, 27s to 30s. 19 ' old, at 24s to 30s Od; new, 19s to 25s g . Beanss sold at 38a to 42s per qr. ; new, 34s to 365. Flour, fine, 348 to 38s ; seconds, 29s to 32s per sack. Foreign Mail Packet List. MAILS DUE. M Australia and Mauritius, via S ou th amp t on . M ar' IP' M ar. I ' l ' via Marseill e s Brazil and Cape Verds, by B r iti s h pac k e t Mar.t . Cape of Good H o p e , A scens i on, an d St. Helena 2 3. China, Penang, and Singapore, vi a Southampton.Nar' o /. via Marseilles Feb . "' Falkland Islandi Gibraltar, via South am pt on 1 : 1 . 3 .1 ); " 3. India (Calcutta), and C e yl on , v i a Southampton 'u1.27. via Marseilles Fe b 'v 0 6 India (Bombay), via Southampton .. Feb. m . f . via Marseilles Mar. Portugal.... Mar. - ‘;,.;" -n. Malta, Egypt, and Aden, vi a S ou th am pt on -- e ' .27. Newfoundland via Marseilles ........ Feb. Mar. 0* Oporto and Vigo •U. S. and B r iti s h N . Amer i ca, b y Brit. packet - by U.S. packet..• • Feb. 26 by Canadian a aket. 10 ' . W.C. of Africa, Madeira, mar. 11. and Teneriffo ..... p M ar. Bahamas, via New Yo r k F e b. 29. Mexico.. All parts of West Indies, including Chili, Peru, J F e b. 29. California. and British Columbia.. COPPER ORE SALE.--At the Swansea ticketing on the 23d the sale s were 438 t ons B r itish and 1,218 tons foreign ore, The averages were as follows :_prodaceo 10 11-16 British, 15 foreign; pricn, £lO 7s British, £ l6 le 6d foreign; standard, £ll7 183 British, £llO 4s 6d foreiga• The average standard was £ll 15s 6d; price, £ l3 166 6 cl and produce, 14t. At the Redruth ticketing on Th ursdai 3,374 tons of o re rea li se d £17,486 14 s ; average price per It £5 3s 6d ; average st an d ar d, £132 ll s ; avera ge produc e, quantity of fine copper, 210 tons lOcwt. Compared or the previous sale the s t an d ar d h as d ec li ne d nearly -tm with the corresponding monthly sale, £7 10s. „ h POISONED BY ACCTDENT.—An inquest we , —el , at Kinniside, En ner d a l e , C um b er l an d, on Wedn e "; day, upon the bodies of Andrew Palmer, aged 16 years, be Anthony Fletcher, 14 years of age, who on Monday °.- took some sheep-dippi ng p ow d er i n m i s t a k e f or su lphur ~f d died on the following day. Th e d ecease d l a d s were la servants, living at the house of a fa rmer name d Proud, at Swinside. On Monday night they asked a servant O r " b r imston e named Coulthard, to get them some treacle and briya s to take. The girl, having obtained the keys fron 3 11 , 4 mistress, took out of a cupboard a bottle which she thousv`a contained_ brimstone. The boys took some of the coloP °g . th mixed with treacle, and soon afterwards were seized With sickness and became ill. As another servant who bad t e , 6ker : a little of the powd er a l so b ecame s i c k , t h e i n mates 0, house became alarmed ; a doctor was sent for, and 13° f° , ll l the two lads suff er i ng f rom t h e e ff ects o f ars enical P °l6 i. ; They both died next morn i ng. M rs. P rou d said the P°Wde had been put into the b o ttl e b y herself on Mond a y °I the impression that it was b r i ms t one. Sh e took it o ut °f brown paper parcel which had no label on, and whi ch Li had had in the house for upwards of 12 months. I t " D a turns out to have bee n a s h ee p-dippi ng powder, Con'l l°6 ;- of sulphur, potash, an d arsen i c . Th e j o y returned a , v ‘ , n i c dict of "Accident a l d ea th." Th e o th er se rvant Who Par"— of the poison is still ill. Persons who have been in the habit of paying NV4 0 157 0 8 0 6 borrowers of Sewing Machi nes w ill d o well to apPIY at iag and become members of Messrs. Watts and Co.'s SeW „ the, Machine Clubs. By so d o i ng th e y will not only 03v5',.,„.0 money they now f oo li s hl y throw away, but at the same "7.01 secure to themsel v e s th e possession of one of th e best ai„.. 03. most celebrated se w i ng mac hi nes i n the world. Ever Y 7 formation given on appli ca ti on; or by letter addressed, wit. a stamped envelop e , t o M essrs. W a tt s a nd Co., 12, B eauf°r e a - .tur buildings, Strand, Londo n , W.O , where members a re rolled daily between 10 and 4 ; Sadays, 10 and 2. [AnvEnusrmENT.]—Consumptlon, all nervous, hilTo7. liver, and stomach co m pl a i n t s , i n every stage , ar e nnlY $ .711 gravatei and acceler a t e d by drugs of every description, t o perfectly curable by Du B arry ' s health restoring Royale . ' Arabica Food, as proved by t h ousan ds of cases sylitcli‘,l!ao. been considered hopel ess . W e quote a few.—Cure No. 6 ,v ad Miss Lange, 18 years of age, cur ed after the medica l mea :a abandoned all hopes of her recovery from the last stag e° , pulmonary consumption, with frarful cough, exPee t° V ee ksi exhaustion, spitting of blood, perapirations, ca w emaciated to a skeleton. She is now, thank God, a P e . rf ire healthy, blooming, fleshy girl.—N. Lange, Colual is ! - ita leS l Police. Cure, No. 40,270. Mr. James Roberts, of il l i v er Surrey, of thirty years' diseased lungs, spitting of bia ° osS , derangement, and partial deafness.—Cure, No. 47 ,121 0 0 n. Elizabeth Jacobs, of extreme nervousness , In e u re, S fis gatherings, low spi r it s , an d nerv ous fanclea---‘',Tafell; 54,816. The Rev. James T. Campbell, Fakenhate.;roisted of indigestion and t or pidit y o f th e li ver , which 11 , a ;gd; 6114 all medical reatment. In tins, 11h, 2s 9d; No. .. lls; 121 b, 225; 241 b, 40s. Barry (In Barry and and al?! Regent-street, London ; also Fortnum and 3119 T 1 K ; agd °/Ifr grocers and chemists in every town of the unite' - d i Vexation Avoided.--This ointment is [ADVERTISEMENT.]--Holloway's Ointmen t as- o r o agent for the healing of woundq, old ulcers , it fromoir.boa rr constitutional causes, have hitherto resisted all o afs modes of treatment. Holloway's ointment , the abdomen, and aided by a judicious course of and obviatssbee thog e acts miraculously on the digestion, obstructions in the mesenteric glands, known 1) Y t f the B ut? ' attenuation, and gradually increasing Weaklleßg I are irll - The combined effects of ointment and pi lls r oue. sistible in all log continued diseases, which eve r i P o dals; disarrangement of the digestion, circulationt ane„g„,eo system, Holloway's remedies are suitable tor au lea conditions, for all climates and constitutions. ipinsedotlern.t:soirevett Births,. NE.—On the 24th inst., at Aibury, Hon. Mrs. Newdigate Burno, of a daughte r. t o HAMILTON.—On the 26tt inst., at 1 6 , Rutlsind-gate' wife of J. W. Han l itt on , Esq., of a daughter. A 1;• 811 ' HARTLEY.—On the 23d inst., at 58 . Addison- t -, o f 0 sington, the wife of John E. Hartley, Esq., CS" le ( 0 son. SANMAP.—On the 2 3 d inst., at Graves end, the wife captain R. Sandford, R.A., of a son. Guildford, ale Bun Marriages. hers EVANS—ANDERSON. — On the 25th inst , at Pa rl3 • e Captain J. M. Evans, Bengal Staff Co.tps, to Car ° o ll :4 Ellin, widow of the late Alexander Anderson. sci'l he . on ly daughter of T. B. Yates, Esq., of Preston -0124 PAR HiII KES—PRATT.—On tho 24th inst., at Saint Tb°f!!',lso . Camden-square, E. Parkes, Esq ,of Ilanley, to M rll aln . pra 'it, PD Hazier, youngest daughter of the late henry of Leighton-grove. / t in Diwill Deaths. CHATB A Be af r.T l: eo. z t—t T i . oa — tghn O eetd n 2h43e t to h h27. e2 h 2 i i n i m as t: : , ,, at Abingdon, Andrew Chatto, aged 1 35.. at the DI - Diekt SC I ° aged 69, inst ., HNcz,. ChelSea,C lle lfirY 8 ., —Oa the 22d inst., at Crenhara, Esser ' - nce,, Esq., aged 76. hu Jaco b ' h Of JACOB.—On the 26th inst., at Falmouth, Jo Maryborough, M D. r J°llll at Winds() p .TARmAN.—On the 26th inst., suddenly, Boykett Jarman, Esq., agd 82. is,hisarttterhhewouse,Willfso2 ta ~~• PILKINGTON.—On the 24th inst., stWballey Ba n ' ' chester, George Pilkington, Esq., aged 64. _ ire p e on -, 'TAusE•—On the 25th inst,, suddenly, Royalx:,,vy, aged port, Hector Tause, Esq., Captain 70. London : Printed and Prblished by ll2 A RN:10. of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at Too SUN Office Noy Strand, In the Precinct of the Oavny. in tine ° A 1 idleee4.•_,_4l9ll.oY, FelgUari 29. 184*